The Fight for Critical Medi-Cal Services in the State Budget
In solidarity with The California Primary Care Association (CPCA), and other rural health stakeholder organizations, CSRHA urges its members to mobilize to preserve critical services provided by FQHC/RHC/IHSs.
Make Calls THIS WEEK urging your representatives to directly call Budget Conferees to pressure them to not pass trailer bill language (implementing language of the California State Budget Bill) that would strip away state statute preserving FQHC/RHC/IHS ability to provide adult dental, optometry, chiropractic and podiatry services.
In February, the Governor and State Legislature enacted a budget that eliminated the provision of nine Medi-Cal “optional benefits,” including adult dental, psychology, chiropractic, acupuncture, speech therapy, incontinence creams and washes, audiology, optometry, and podiatry services, to go into effect July 1, 2009.
Elimination of funding to serve adult Medi-Cal beneficiaries will mean severe reduction in these services and for many elimination of entire programs. These services will disappear for Medi-Cal children and the uninsured. In the FQHC context, this reduction does not just adversely impact Medi-Cal adult beneficiaries.
CPCA, Clinicas del Camino Real, Inc., and Southern Trinity Health Services filed suit against the State in April, 2009 on the basis that adult dental, optometry, chiropractic and podiatry programs are mandatory FQHC/RHC/IHS services under state law. But their fear is that if they are successful in their legal efforts against the state, they will face an attack in the budget process on the state statute that currently designates adult dental, optometry, chiropractic, and podiatry services as FQHC/RHC/IHS services.
Your support is needed to show legislators the fiscal and moral responsibilities they have to California's most vulnerable populations and service providers.
To locate your State Senator and Assemblymember, click here
^top
National Health Care Reform News
Democratic House Leaders Roll Out Health Care Reform Proposal
On Friday, House Democrats released a discussion draft of health care reform legislation, the New York Times reports.
The bill's authors said the legislation would provide coverage for 95% of U.S. residents.
Under Agreement, Medicare Would Pay Less for Drugs
Drug manufacturers have tentatively agreed to provide as much as $80 billion worth of discounts on medicines purchased for government programs such as Medicare, providing a bit of cash for President Obama's expensive and ambitious attempt to give health coverage to every American.
^top
3720 Folsom Boulevard, Suite B, Sacramento, CA 95816
Telephone: (916) 453-0780| Fax: (916) 453-0783
E-mail: advocate@csrha.org
|
